1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a vascular prosthesis, and more particularly to an intraluminal stent which has a flexible and elastic tubular construction with sufficient hoop strength to prevent elastic recoil of balloon-resistant strictures or to produce delayed dilation of those strictures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art includes a wide variety of intraluminal stents and grafts. For example, Palmaz U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,665 discloses a balloon-expandable intraluminal graft, including an embodiment comprising a wire mesh tube. Intersecting wire members, secured to one another at their intersections by welding, soldering or gluing, form the wire mesh and define a diamond-like pattern. This structure provides a relatively high resistance to radial collapse; but it suffers a number of disadvantages. First it is a rigid structure which cannot easily assume the configuration of a curved vessel which receives it. Second one must use a balloon catheter to expand and implant it. This requirement limits the length of the graft, as does the rigidity.
Other prior stents have more flexible constructions; but they suffer other disadvantages. Wiktor U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,062, for example, discloses a stent which has a relatively flexible construction. This construction includes a deformable wire bent into a zig-zag design and coiled in a spiral fashion. The resulting wire tube has an open configuration with a reduced hoop strength. Each hoop lies essentially isolated from the adjacent hoops and does not obtain substantial support from them. Moreover, the open configuration increases the risk that plaque elements may herniate through the coil. Finally, one must use a balloon catheter to expand and implant it. Thus, the length of the stent cannot exceed the balloon length of available balloon catheters.
The intraluminal stent of the present invention avoids the disadvantages of the prior art stents and grafts. It has sufficient hoop strength to prevent elastic recoil of balloon-resistant strictures. The stent of the present invention has a flexible construction which allows it to follow the curvature of the vessel which receives it. It has an elastic construction which allows implantation without a balloon catheter. This elasticity further allows compression of the structure and recoil upon implantation to produce delayed dilation of the receiving vessel.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an intraluminal stent includes a predetermined length of wire having a sinuous or zig-zag configuration and defining a continuous helix with a plurality of connected spirals or hoops. A plurality of loop members connect adjacent apices of adjacent helix hoops. The stent is compressible and self-expandable substantially to the configuration prior to compression.
In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention, an intraluminal stent includes the continuous helix and the plurality of loop members described above. It also includes a prosthetic graft disposed longitudinally of the wire helix within its central opening (or around the wire helix). One or more of the loop members secures the graft to the wire helix. This graft is a flexible, tubular shell which allows the wire helix to contract and recoil.